


Where Chains and Shadows Meet

by ali_jade01



Series: Destruction of Worlds [1]
Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: ACOTAR - Freeform, AU, Angst, Crossover, Dimensions, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fantasy, Friends to Lovers, Kidnapping, Love, M/M, Magic, Night Court - Freeform, Original Character - Freeform, Prythian, Romance, Slow Burn, Time Skips, Torture, Valg, Violence, acotar/tog, dissociative personality disorder, fae, mythical, powers, split personality, tamlin is a douche
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2020-11-10 20:08:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20857526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ali_jade01/pseuds/ali_jade01
Summary: Azriel always knew he was destined to be alone, that the Cauldron meant for him to be a soldier... a spy, and nothing more. So when the heir of the Night Court is born, all he ever believed gets ripped to shreds, and he finally begins to feel hope again... to finally understand the feeling of love, towards the little baby girl.But this girl is not normal, she is dangerous beyond comprehension, and when she is kidnapped, a chain of events is set off. A chain of events that will change the whole world.But not just their world, not just Prythian.This girl has two choices. She can choose love, and walk towards the path of light.Or she can wreak destruction strong enough to shatter dimensions.





	1. Prologue

Finally. After hours of seemingly unending pain, months of waiting, and years of hoping, they were here. The children that Rhys and I had fought so hard and sacrificed so much for were born. I fell back against the stack of pillows, too exhausted to do much else. I had fought in battles and trained with Illyrians, but childbirth was by far the most demanding. Hours of push, wait and push again to bring the children into the world. It took Rhys and I years of trying, and I had almost gotten to the point of giving up when we were finally gifted with not one, but two babies.

I blinked up at Madja, our healer, as she bent over the twins, checking them for any mishaps a few feet away. After a few minutes, she looked up and met my eyes, her face breaking into a grin.

“They’re strong and healthy, nothing wrong with them. Well done, my Lady.”

I sighed in relief. Fae births were known to be exceedingly difficult, but it seemed that, despite the pain, mine had gone relatively well. Whether that had anything to do with me being Made, I had no idea, but I wasn’t complaining.

“Would you like to hold them?”

I nodded, and she picked them up, bringing their cloth wrapped bodies over to me. I held out my arms, trembling with the effort of keeping them there, and she carefully placed them against my sweat-slicked chest. I breathed in their scent.

“Could you bring Rhysand in now?” I murmured to Madja. She left the room with a nod, and I was alone for a moment with the twins, who were now sleeping peacefully. They were beautiful, both heads dusted with a mop of thick, black hair. A boy and a girl, my two little angels, both with a tiny pair of Illyrian wings already pushing against the swath of white fabric encompassing them.

The door to mine and Rhys’ bedroom banged open, and the High Lord of Night himself barged in, his expression panicked and frantic. Then he saw me sprawled on our bed, with our children held against me, and his face softened. He walked over to me and knelt beside the bed.

“Feyre darling. Are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you need anything?” He whispered, mindful of the sleeping twins.

I smiled and lifted a hand to press it against his cheek. “You are such an overbearing Illyrian baby. I’m fine, if a bit tired.”

He sighed, closing his eyes. “The bond… it flickered. A few hours ago. And… Madja wouldn’t let me in… and I panicked, you weren’t replying to me. I couldn’t hear you.” His voice broke at the end.

I knew what he was talking about. How, when the pain grew too great, I lost consciousness. It took Madja ten minutes to revive me, and her face was so terrified, she’d thought I was done for. But I’d made it. I’d come back.

“I’m fine.” I repeated, wiping away the tears that escaped from under his closed eyelids.

He opened his eyes, and took a deep breath, before looking at our children, still in my arms. Silver lined his eyes again.

“They’re beautiful.” He breathed. “A boy and a girl, we have been blessed.”

I smiled, and a tear fell down my cheek. “She looks like you.” I said, nodding at the baby girl. Rhys looked up at me, and wiped away my tears the same way I had done to him.

“And he looks like you.” He replied.

The tears fell freely then. This was what we’d fought for. Every death, every sacrifice was so that we could provide a safe haven for our children, and others like them.

The twins began to cry, their tiny wails piercing the silent room. Rhys squeezed my hand tightly.

“May I hold them?” he inquired softly. I rose an eyebrow.

“They’re your children too, you don’t need to ask for permission.”

He smiled gently. “The bond between a mother and her young is one of the strongest there is, second only to the mating bond. If I tried to take them without your permission, your instincts would likely take over and I’d probably be left without a hand, mating bond or no.”

I gaped. “Well… I give you my permission. Please restrain me if I ever try to remove you of your hand.”

He smirked. “With pleasure. There are a great many things I can envision doing with a restrained female.”

I glared. “Prick.”

He rose an eyebrow before reaching over and pulling the crying twins from my arms. As he did, I felt an irrational fury building up inside me. Shuddering, I pushed the emotion back.

Rhys looked at me sympathetically. “Even with your consent, it’s hard, isn’t it?”

“Very.” I gritted out, trying to shut out the sound of my babies crying. However, as soon as Rhys clutched them to his chest, they quietened, and the boiling anger faded. He looked down at them, murmuring softly, stroking their hair gently. The scene gave me the overwhelming urge to paint, and the title of what it would be popped into my head. _Overprotective Mama Bear. _

Rhys chuckled at I sent the idea down the bond, and I smiled as well.

After a few minutes, Madja slipped back into the room.

“If I may, my Lord and Lady, I should like to perform a more extensive examination of the children, just to ensure that there is nothing wrong with them.”

I nodded, and turned to Rhys, who passed the babies into Madja’s waiting arms. I shut my eyes, exhaustion weighing down on me, as our healer took the twins from the room.

Rhys crossed the room back to me and kissed my forehead.

_You did well darling._

I smiled, the only actions I had the energy to do.

_Who knew childbirth could be so taxing?_

Rhysand chuckled. “Sleep, my love. I’ll watch over you. When you’re ready, we’ll go to the House of Wind and introduce everyone to the babies.”

I groaned. “You, Cassian and Azriel and going to be the most insufferable, territorial bastards for the next few years, aren’t you?

Rhysand laughed. “Don’t forget that Mor will probably steal Iris and take her shopping as often as she can.”

I opened my eyes. “Iris?”

He smiled sheepishly. “It was my sister’s name, it seemed appropriate. If you don’t like it, then we can change it-”

“No.” I interrupted him. “It’s perfect. I would be glad to honour your sister, and the name suits her.”

He leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips. I kissed him back, winding my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me.

He laughed, disentangling himself from my grip. I frowned.

“You are exhausted, my love. Wait till you’re rested, then we’ll have our fun.”

My toes curled under the sheets even as I scowled at him.

My eyes began to drift shut. Before I could lose conscious completely, I whispered to Rhys.

“Our son, I want his name to be Julian.”

_Sleep, darling. Iris and Julian will be here when you wake. _Was his only reply.


	2. Among the Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when Feyre has had enough of Azriel's behaviour?

_6 Months Later_

Mor held Iris in her arms, cooing at her as she giggled and tugged at her hair. The baby girl wrapped her tiny fingers around one of Mor’s and made odd kissing noises. Mor laughed, absolutely delighted with the child.

Julian, the eldest twin by three minutes, played quietly with his toes in Nesta’s arms. My sister looked like she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be doing with a child in her arms. Beside her, Cassian was smirking at her expression.

“Think about it.” He murmured quietly, so quietly that I almost couldn’t hear. “It will be preparation for us.”

I blinked. Then blinked again as Nesta’s cheeks flushed, and her free hand drifted towards her abdomen.

_So _that’s _why Nesta’s been so sensitive lately. _I said down the bond to Rhys, sending what I’d seen as well.

Shock rippled down the bond as he processed what had happened.

_Well that is a turn of events I definitely didn’t foresee happening. I wonder how long it took Cassian to persuade Nesta to even lie with him, let alone go _this _far. _

I rolled my eyes.

_You can be a real prick sometimes, you know?_

I could feel him chuckle. _You know you love it._

I smirked. _Just about as much as you love dealing with the Court of Nightmares._

His mood soured immediately.

_How is that going, by the way?_

_Not good. Keir is starting to get impatient; says we’ve had enough time to raise our children and he wants to come to Velaris._

It took all my effort to keep my growl internal. _Don’t let him. Not yet._

He sighed through the bond. _I’m doing my best, darling, but we can’t keep him away forever._

_I know. Just… not yet._

_I will do my best. _He repeated. _Now, as much as I regret to, I am going to have to finish our conversation now and do my best to keep from strangling Keir._

I smirked. _Don’t worry, my poor baby, I’ll let you release your frustrations on me later, when you get home._

Just to see what would happen, I sent him a visual of what exactly I pictured him doing.

His harsh curse echoed through my mind, and I smiled softly, before exiting that small sliver in the wall of adamant surrounding his mind and bringing myself back to the company surrounding me.

“Hey Az!” Mor called. “Do you want to hold Iris?”

Out of all of us, the shadowsinger was the only one who had yet to hold my daughter. In fact, every time it was offered, he’d flat out refuse. He didn’t seem to have an aversion to babies, he liked Julian just fine.

It was odd; every time someone even _hinted _at passing Iris to him, he’d go pale and make some excuse to winnow away. Normally, Rhys held me back, warning me not to push Azriel; that he’d tell us whatever was wrong in his own time. But Rhys wasn’t here to stop me this time, and I had had enough of Az’s pathetic excuses.

So, this time, when he made to fold into the shadows, I winnowed to him and grabbed his wrist, disappearing alongside him.

For the split second we were encompassed in his shadows, I was engulfed by an overwhelming chill; completely different from the warm emptiness between worlds of a normal winnow.

When we emerged a moment later, he yanked his hand away from me. We were in the Library of all places. Why he chose to go there, I didn’t know.

“What are you doing?”

“Why do you keep avoiding Iris?”

We both spoke at the same time, then paused, not knowing who should answer first. Azriel gritted his teeth and sighed.

“I’m not avoiding her.”

I rose an eyebrow. “Whenever someone offers to give her to you, you winnow away.”

“Ok fine, I suppose I am avoiding her.”

“But _why?”_

Az ran a hand through his hair. “It’s complicated.”

“I don’t see how.”

“Could you just _drop _it?” He hissed, glaring at me.

I blinked, cringing. “I’m sorry, Az. I just… it doesn’t make sense! You don’t have a problem with Julian.”

“Julian isn’t my mate!”

It took a moment for the words to sink in. At first, I thought I’d heard wrong, but one look at Azriel’s terrified expression at what he’d just admitted confirmed that I’d heard correctly.

“Iris is your mate?”

He winced and nodded.

“And you thought we’d be angry?”

He looked up, surprised. “You’re not?”

Inside of me, and unfathomable rage was indeed building up at the thought of _my daughter _being taken away, shackled to someone, _anyone_… but, that wasn’t what the mating bond was, was it? I knew firsthand the joy and unbridled happiness that came from the mating bond, and who was I to deny that to my daughter, to Azriel?

So, I took a deep breath and quenched the anger.

“Well, _I’m _not. I can’t speak for Rhys, but I’m sure he’ll accept it. I’m happy for you Az.”

The shock on his face betrayed his previous lack of hope. He genuinely believed that I was going to refuse his claim, and he was prepared to deal with it. The thought broke my heart.

“As long as you don’t try anything with her before she is at an appropriate age.”

He glared at me. “I would never.”

And I knew it to be true. Though I knew it would be because of his own scars, his own self-loathing, that would prevent him from doing _anything _with my daughter, no matter her age. I grinned to lighten the suddenly dark atmosphere.

“I know, I just wanted to give the stern mother talk. It’s rather fun.”

Azriel groaned. “You are unbelievable.”

“Is that any way to speak to your High Lady?”

He only rolled his eyes.

I chuckled. “Well, would you like to come back to the house and actually have some kind of contact with your mate?”

Azriel paused.

“Are you sure that Rhysand will accept it?” He whispered. It was the most unsure I’d ever seen him, and it struck me how little emotion he’d ever shared, with anyone. He was our spymaster, the shadowsinger, but also my friend, and yet this was the first time I’d even considered his own happiness.

Guilt flooded through me. I’d been so absorbed with myself, the babies, Rhysand… even Amren got more consideration than what I’d given Azriel.

“You deserve happiness.” I said. “I know, and Rhys knows what it feels like to lose your mate. We are not going to take her from you. She is yours as well as ours, and when she’s old enough, she will realise that you are hers as well.”

Az stared at me, still obviously hesitant. “I knew - the moment I saw her – I knew who she was, but I wanted you and Rhys to have her. You’ve both worked so hard for your family, and I didn’t want to impose.” Pain and self-loathing coated his words, making my heart ache.

“You _are _worth it, Az. You do deserve her, just as she deserves you.”

He looked down at his scarred hands, as if reminding himself that he would never be good enough.

“They don’t matter.” I said quietly. “She won’t care about them.”

He stiffened, then looked up.

“Thank you.” He replied, forcing a smile onto his face. I resisted the urge to sigh. Of course, it was going to take more than a few words from _me _to make everything right.

I gave a weak grin instead. “Shall we return?”

Everyone was still in the living room when we winnowed back – rather, _I _winnowed back, while Azriel folded into his shadows. I had no wish to go with him this time, even the thought of subjecting myself to the bone-numbing cold made me shiver.

No one seemed to have noticed our disappearance, either that or they were doing a very good job of not making a deal out of it. I glanced at Azriel beside me, and gestured towards Iris, who was still being held by Mor. He gave me a slightly terrified look, before walking over to her, murmuring a few words to a clearly stunned Mor, and reaching for my daughter.

Mor let Iris go with no resistance, then stepped away and looked at me with raised eyebrows. I winked at her, and she gave me a grin, before walking over.

As she approached, I watched Azriel hold my daughter. He seemed to be in a trance, and stared down at her with an awed expression, as she gazed back up at him with her violet eyes. Cassian, thankfully, didn’t offer any sarcastic comments, and remained thoroughly absorbed with Julian and Nesta. 

“What did you do?” Mor whispered in my ear. I smiled.

“You’ll have to ask him.”

She pouted. “Why can’t you tell me?”

“Because.” I shrugged. “It’s not my story to tell.”

“You’re no fun.” She sighed. I only rose an eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes and turned to watch Azriel and Iris.

I spaced away from the conversation and turned my attention inwards, grabbing hold of the mating bond in my mind and following until I came to the wall of adamant blocking me. I stroked my hand down the barrier, and like expected, a crack opened for me.

_Hello, Feyre Darling. _Rhys’ velvety voice floated through my head.

_Hello, my love. _

_What can I do for you, sweetheart?_

I paused for a moment, deliberating how to tell him. _There have been some developments._

I felt his intrigue drift down the bond. _Oh?_

_About Azriel… and Iris._

He was definitely curious now. _What about them?_

_They are mates._

The connection went silent for a moment. Then another. And another, yet still no answer.

_Rhys?_

Suddenly, a flood of shock washed over me.

_Mates. _

Even through the bond, his voice was oddly empty. He was in shock, I realised.

_Yes, mates. _

A flicker of anger fluttered down the bond.

Azriel _is mates with _my _daughter? _He growled.

_Yes. And you are going to deal with it._

He was quiet for a second.

_You support this?_

_I do. _

_He isn’t good enough for my daughter. _He gritted. I could hear him frowning.

_Rhys! _I scolded. _You know what Azriel has been through! If anything, I think he is the _only _one good enough for our daughter._

His guilt rippled through me.

_I’m sorry. I know how good Azriel is… I just… I’m a little protective._

I snorted. _You think so?_

_Cruel thing. _He chuckled. _I’m going to come back to Velaris now._

I hesitated. _What about Keir?_

_It is dealt with. He has given us seven years._

Surprise flooded through me, and I blinked. _Seven years? How did you manage that?_

_I basically told him to do it or I’d strip him of his title. You’d be surprised how quickly he agreed after that._

I smirked. _Maybe you should just do it anyway. It’d make our lives a whole lot easier._

_Hmmm, but I need his… support, for the moment. When the time is right, I’ll give both him and his wife over to Mor for her to do as she wishes with them._

I nodded. _That does seem like a better idea, but still, you don’t need to come home so early._

_That’s new, Feyre Darling. You’re normally _more _than ready for me to come home._

My toes curled at the suggestion in his voice. _Yes, but I know your plan is to go straight to Azriel and… probably yell at him like the overprotective mother hen you are._

He recoiled a bit. _I’m insulted that you think so lowly of me, my darling. I only wish to speak to him as a father, not a High Lord._

_Promise me you will be fair. _

_When am I not?_

_Promise me, Rhys! _

He sighed. _I promise you, my love. _

I release my tight hold on the wall of his mind a little. I knew Rhys would want to talk to Azriel himself, and that getting him to promise to be fair was about all I could do.

_I shall see you soon then, we are in the living room of the House of Wind._

_I’ll be there in but a moment. _

The High Lord of Night winnowed into the room in a flurry of darkness only minutes later. He smirked at me first, before turning his attention to Azriel, who still held Iris in his arms.

“Azriel.” He barked. “River house. Now.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. _You promised to be fair._

_And so I shall. _He said, winking at me. _But you never said I couldn’t have a little fun being the overprotective father before that._

I rolled my eyes and made an exasperated noise. He only shrugged and began walking towards the staircase that led to the top floor of the House of Wind. Azriel wisely gave Iris back to Mor, though the instant longing in his eyes made me want to tell him to take her back. Stifling my sigh, I walked over to Cassian and Nesta, who were still holding Julian.

“So, when were you going to tell us?” I inquired innocently. Nesta stiffened immediately.

“Tell you what?” she asked slowly. I gestured vaguely to her abdomen.

Her hand clasped her still-flat stomach and narrowed her eyes at me. “How did you know?”

I smirked. “Cassian isn’t as quiet as he thinks he is.”

Nesta glared up at the general, who smiled at her sheepishly. I paused, before tentatively reaching out to put a hand on Nesta’s arm.

“I’m happy for you. Both of you.”

She tensed under my hand but offered me a half smile. Nesta rarely showed emotion, so I smiled back. When she looked up at Cassian, I knew she was happy. Even if she didn’t show it explicitly on her face, even though she still closed her emotions off from the rest of us, I could see in her eyes that she loved the general.

Seeing her love for him made me hopeful. If she could feel that, maybe the Cauldron hadn’t damaged her beyond repair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we have the first actual chapter folks! Hope you all enjoy xx


	3. Points of Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris' true nature begins to reveal itself...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!! I'm not sure if this warrants a warning, but there is kinda graphic descriptions of torture in this chapter... I'm sorry if you don't enjoy that kind of stuff, but it is fairly essential to the plot line, sorry! You have been warned!

_7 years later._

Feyre's POV

“Julian! Come on!”

I giggled as Julian gave a long-suffering sigh, as if her were centuries old instead of seven years. He glared at me, his cherubic face squeezing into an intensely annoyed look. He placed his paintbrush back in its tin and stood, giving one last look at his paint-splattered clothes and groaning.

I carefully put away my own painting supplies, before looking at Julian’s canvas. Even at seven years old he was showing amazing prowess with a brush.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Iris, who’s piece was comprised of a few splats of colour haphazardly slapped onto the canvas. She’d come into the studio with Julian and I, and painted for about twenty minutes before she’d gotten bored.

The twins couldn’t be more different from each other, yet they were as close as could be.

I stood and put a hand on Julian’s shoulder, whispering in his ear.

“You can stay here and paint, I’ll go see what your sister wants.”

He frowned for a moment. “But she wants _me _to come.”

I smiled. “I’m sure she can survive without you coming with her just this once.”

Julian smiled back at me and wrapped his small arms around my neck. I returned his embrace before standing back upright and heading toward the door.

Outside the studio, standing on the sidewalk, Iris was jumping on her toes, already dressed in her tiny set of Illyrian leathers. She’d demanded them almost as soon as she saw Cassian and Azriel wearing them a year ago, and now, she wore them everywhere, except for the painting studio. She must have brought them with her this morning in order to have gotten changed as quickly as she had.

“Hello mother!” She called as she saw me. “Where’s Jules?”

“Iris, your brother is painting.”

She looked at me and frowned. “Doesn’t he want to come and play with me?”

I sighed. “Darling, Julian isn’t a fighter like you, he’s an artist.”

She rolled her eyes. “Painting is _so_ boring mother!”

“Not everyone has a warrior’s spirit, love.”

“Will you come and play with me?” She asked hopefully. I fought back another sigh. I loved my daughter, but her idea of playing usually involved fighting lessons and sparring, neither of which I had much desire for anymore, not since the horrors of the war against Hybern. As I wracked my brain for some other solution or excuse, Rhys’ voice floated into my mind.

_Cassian and Azriel are back._

I exhaled in relief.

“Iris, how would you like to go back to the House of Wind? Azriel and Cassian are back.”

Her face lit up immediately. “Azzy is back?” she squealed, completely neglecting to mention Cassian.

Not that I could blame her. The mating bond was in effect already, and Azriel and Iris were the best of friends. Az trained Iris every morning, then played with her for the rest of the day. He never grew tired of the girl, and it was truly adorable to watch them together, especially when Iris made Azriel carry her around Velaris on his shoulders.

I chuckled. “Yes, he is back. Come on, I’ll take you back.”

_I’m bringing Iris to you; she wants to see Azriel. _I shot down the bond.

Iris practically skipped over to me and grabbed my outstretched hand. Just before we winnowed, Rhys started to speak down the bond.

_I don’t think that’s such a good-_

But we’d already winnowed, and Rhys’ protest was lost in the space between worlds.

When we arrived at the House of Wind, Iris barely gave me a quick goodbye before she was bounding up the steps and into the manor. I shook my head, laughing to myself.

I winnowed back to my studio in the Rainbow and slipped back into my seat next to Julian and picked up my brush.

_Azriel’s POV_

Cassian thumped me on the shoulder. “And this one,” He continued on with his story. “He was godsdamned _lethal. _You should have seen him, winnowing behind those naga and slicing their heads off before they even knew he was there!”

I rolled my eyes and nudged the unconscious naga at my feet. Rhysand looked at Cassian incredulously. “So, you’re telling me, that you _knew _the naga would be there and you didn’t tell me?”

Cassian held up his hands. “His fault, not mine.” He protested, jabbing a thumb at me. Rhysand sighed.

“Out of the pair of you, Az is the least likely to withhold information from me, Cass. I hope you two have an excuse for Feyre for why there’s naga blood on the tiles.”

I looked down at my prisoner. It was indeed oozing black ichor onto the white marble tiles. I would need to bring it down into the dungeons for questioning before it woke up. Just as I bent down to pick it up, a high-pitched squeal echoed in the foyer as the doors slammed open.

I stood and turned my head so sharply it gave me whiplash. Iris was already running for me, and a opened my arms as she leapt onto me. I was too well-trained to stumble back, but her strength startled me. She was far stronger than she had been the last time I’d seen her a few months ago. I nestled my face into her hair, breathing in her scent.

No matter how many times I saw her, I never got sick of her excitement or endless curiosity. Some would say that it was just the mating bond, but the little girl had everyone wrapped around her finger.

After she finished squeezing me half to death, she drew back, still in my arms.

“Is that a baddie?” She asked as simply as if she were asking what was for dinner. I froze, and the grin slipped off my face. I’d completely forgotten about the naga on the floor. I searched Iris’ face for any hint of fear or disgust at the sight but saw only curiosity.

“Yes.” I murmured. “It is.”

She slipped out of my arms before I could stop her and crouched down next to the naga.

“Can I touch it?” She inquired innocently. I blinked, not sure if I’d heard correctly. Before I could reply, Rhys butted in.

“No, angel, you cannot.”

Iris stood up and pouted at her father. “Why not?”

Rhys looked momentarily stunned. “Well… it is not safe.”

She nudged the prostrate form, just as I had barely a few minutes ago. There was no horror or revulsion in her eyes. In fact, the most terrifying thing was that she showed no emotion at all.

“It doesn’t look particularly dangerous.”

“Looks can be deceiving.” I murmured quietly. Iris gazed at me, suddenly seeming much older than her seven years.

“Can go with you to question it?”

I recoiled. Why she would ask such a thing…

“No.” Rhysand barked before I had a chance to. Iris turned calmly to him.

“Why not?” She asked again.

This time Rhys was not caught off guard. “Because I said no.”

I expected a tantrum, some screaming at least, but she only turned to me, and suddenly she was the laughing, giggling girl again.

“Come play with me Azzy?” She asked, jumping on the balls of her feet. I was silent for a moment, completely bewildered by her change in mood.

“Sure.”

I glanced up at Rhysand and Cassian for help, but they looked just as confused as I was. I hesitantly reached down and picked Iris up into my arms. Giving a brief farewell to the others, I took Iris outside to the training rings where she so often preferred to “play”, all the while thinking about how expressionless she’d been as she stared at the naga.

Hours later, once we’d had our dinner and the twins had been put to bed, I winnowed to the dwelling on top of the Court of Nightmares, where I often preferred to do my questioning. Cassian and Rhys had taken the naga here once Iris and I had left to play. I walked through the dark halls down to the set of dungeons installed in the basement, and each step I took, I could feel the cold mask slipping over my features, the mask of the spymaster.

I stopped in front of a set of iron wrought, black ebony doors that led into the dungeons, and took a deep breath. From the moment I was to open these doors, all emotion needed to disappear. I could not be vulnerable or merciful. I gritted my teeth and pushed open the doors.

The stench of blood, death and rot hit me like a wave, and I forced down a gag. No matter how many times I came down here, it always affected me. In public, even with the Inner Circle, it was easy to pretend that torture was a simple matter, but down here… _alone… _dread flooded through me. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my hands into fists. It was time.

The naga Cassian and I had captured snarled as I came into the dim firelight. Down here, there was no light, but for the torches placed systematically along the hallway. I let my shadows snake into the circle of light, and the naga cringed back. I smiled grimly. The shadows never failed to make even the most brutal of enemies cower. As I unlocked the cell and stepped inside, the naga forgot its fear and let out an unearthly scream, pulling against the manacles that pinned its wrists and ankles to the wall. It would not be able to escape, the iron manacles had long ago been fused with ash, and already I could see the naga’s face contort with pain as its skin rubbed against the chains. _Good. _I thought. _It will not take long to get what information I need from this one. _

Normally the stronger willed prisoners didn’t show any pain until I started slicing off their fingers, some of them even lasted to the point where I would start sawing off limbs, particularly wings – if they had any. The fact that this one looked to be in agony already was a blessing. I wouldn’t have to spend more than an hour down here.

My shadows swirled in the confines, and I solidified one enough to brush against the naga’s face. It writhed in fear, and I let my smile grow, even as inside I was cringing myself.

“What were you and your pack doing near the Prison?” I murmured quietly, my shadows brushing against the naga again.

“I’ll tell you nothing, shadowsinger.” It hissed. I rose an eyebrow.

“We’ll see about that.” I replied, flicking out a dagger. “Last chance.”

It remained quiet. I sighed.

“Very well.”

Rather than slice him myself, my shadows picked the knife from my outstretched hand and bore it to the naga. Through my guidance, the dagger began to carve into the creature’s leathery skin on his forearm. The thing whimpered but made no move to speak.

“Anything to say yet?”

Silence.

My shadows drove the knife in deeper, causing a rush of blood to come out. I eased up on the pressure; it would be no use if the naga bled out before I was done with it.

An hour passed, filled with me cutting and severing, and the naga screaming. Slices traced all up both arms, and several fingers were now lying on the floor, but still, the naga would not reveal anything to me. I was so caught up in my work, that I didn’t hear the intruder until their voice echoed in the cell.

“Try the arch of his foot. I’ve read that it hurts pretty bad there.”

I froze, and looked away from the naga, and towards the corner of the cell, where Iris was sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring at me intensely, with the same age-old expression as earlier.

It took me a few moments to find my words.

“Or the back of the knee, there’s tendons back there that will make sure he can’t walk again.”

I blinked.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered. She cocked her head at me.

“Father wouldn’t let me go _with _you, but he said nothing about me coming on my own.”

I gaped. “Iris! You can’t be here! It’s not safe.”

She frowned. “That’s what Father said, but like last time, it doesn’t look dangerous. Can I stay?”

“How did you even get here?”

“I winnowed.”

I frowned. The wards should have stopped her. How did she get past them?

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I just thought of you, and here I am.”

I started. “Did you just- did you just read my mind?” I breathed.

“Was I not supposed to?”

I pondered, it wasn’t really that she wasn’t allowed to, it was more that she shouldn’t be _able _to. My mental shields were so extensive that even Rhys wasn’t able to penetrate them.

“Really? I didn’t even have to think about it, I was just able to.”

There she went again, reading my thoughts, I wasn’t sure if I liked it.

“I can stop if you like.” She murmured quietly. Then, she snapped her head to face the naga.

“He’s thinking of something- or some_one _called Orcus.” She turned back to me. “Does that mean anything to you? There’s something in there about breaking him free from the Prison.”

I narrowed my eyes at the naga. “Who is Orcus?” I snarled. But the naga wasn’t listening; it was focused on Iris, who was staring at it just as intently. She laughed at something that she must have heard from its mind, before speaking.

“Nothing escapes the Prison without binding themselves to a non-ethereal figure. Your plan will not work.”

Then, with a flick of her hand, the naga’s neck cracked, and it slumped lifelessly to the floor.

I turned to her. “What did you do that for? I hadn’t gotten answers from it!”

She shrugged. “I did.”

Then, like earlier today, her expression changed back into that suitable for a normal seven-year-old.

“I want to go back home.”

She walked to me and put her arms around me. I instinctually wrapped my own around her small body and held her to my chest.

I shivered. “Don’t… don’t come down here again, angel. I know you don’t think it’s dangerous, but here is not a good place for you to be.”

She looked up at me. And she smiled, patting my cheek. “Don’t worry, Azzy. I’ll wait for your permission next time.”

As we walked out of the dungeons, and towards the entrance to the Court of Nightmares, I didn’t bother to tell her that I would never give her permission to come here, never.

I winnowed straight to Iris’ bedroom and placed her gently in her bed. She had fallen asleep in my arms on the way back to Velaris and didn’t stir as I kissed her forehead and left her room.

Rhys was sitting at his desk in his office, reading over some paperwork while Feyre sat on the opposite side, writing some sort of letter. As I walked in, they both stopped their work and looked at me.

“Azriel.” Rhys greeted. “Did the naga give any information?”

“A little.” I nodded. “What I heard; I couldn’t make sense of – something about breaking a being called Orcus out of the Prison.”

Rhys and Feyre both rose their eyebrows.

“They were trying to break someone out of the Prison. Gods,” Feyre sighed, rubbing her eyes. “This is not what we need. Have you ever heard of this Orcus, Rhys?”

He shook his head. “Never. Though I suppose if it’s someone in the Prison, there should be records of some sort in the Library. We’ll have to do some research.”

Feyre nodded. “Thank you, Az. You should go to bed, you look exhausted.”

I was tempted to point out their own tired faces, but there was something I had to say.

“Iris found out something.”

Rhys’ brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

I took a deep breath, preparing myself. “In the dungeons. She found out something from the naga.”

Both the High Lord and Lady’s faces shifted into a mask of fury and panic.

“I said she was not to go down there.” He growled, and Feyre echoed him with a snarl of her own.

I squared my shoulders. “I did not take her.”

Feyre cocked an eyebrow, her expression still dangerously close to wrath. “Then who did?”

“She took herself.”

“She _what?” _Rhys barked incredulously.

“She winnowed into the dungeons.”

“But- but that’s _impossible. _The wards-” Feyre sputtered.

“Did nothing to stop her.” I confirmed. “Her powers are growing; she looked into the naga’s mind and gleaned the information from it in a heartbeat.”

Feyre was breathing hard, and Rhys looked panicked.

“She- She’s so _young. _She can’t be expected to control this. My poor girl, she must be so frightened. Oh gods.” Feyre moaned. Rhys placed a comforting arm around her should, but his own expression was strained too.

“I… don’t think she is.” I murmured. Rhys glared at me.

“What?” He barked.

“When she came in, the first thing she said was that I should cut the bottom of the naga’s foot because it would cause more pain.”

Both their faces paled.

“She’s not a normal seven-year-old.” I continued.

Feyre snarled and leapt up. “What do you _mean _my daughter is not normal. I don’t _care _if you are her mate! You have no right-”

“He may be right, darling.” Rhys murmured, cautiously placing a hand on her waist to ease her back down onto her chair. “What do you propose we do?” he continued, cutting off Feyre’s barked curse.

I hesitated. I hadn’t expected Rhys to be so open so quickly, but I supposed if I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Iris’ strange mood changes…

“She’s already receiving magic and physical training, but… due to her apparently… _bloodthirsty _appetite,” Feyre glared at me as I said that, but I continued. “I believe it would be our best option if I were to train her.”

Rhys furrowed his brow. “You already do.”

“I mean in the art of spying.”

“Oh.” He was silent for a moment. Feyre, however, was not.

“_Bloodthirsty _appetite? Spy training? Are you crazy, Azriel? She’s _seven!” _

“I know, but if she doesn’t find a way to release that energy, then she’ll end up doing more harm than good. At least if I’m training her, I can keep an eye on her and keep her safe.”

Feyre hesitated. I could see that she was beginning to see reason. Rhys already looked convinced.

“I’m willing to give it a shot.” He said. Feyre turned to him, gaping.

“Are you _both _insane?”

“You haven’t seen her in training as I have, Feyre. She changes, becomes older, as if there’s an ancient beast trapped inside her. Azriel is our best bet at keeping her safe.”

Feyre’s expression softened. Then she turned to me, her eyes scathing. “Fine. We will try this. But mark my words, Azriel, if she gets injured in any way, you will regret it. I don’t care if she is your mate, she is my _daughter.”_

I nodded, my heart thumping in my chest. I knew she was serious, and a glance at Rhys’ face showed that he too would support her in whatever she chose to do to me.

I couldn’t get out of that room fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we have another chapter! I'm actually pretty proud of myself because i'm actually on track with my writing, i have about 6 chapters written, and another four or five planned out soooo woohoo!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this one, let me know what you think of Iris'... nefarious tendencies :)


	4. Eyes of Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How could what was supposed to be a harmless training exercise go so wrong?

_4 years later_

“Where are the tracks, Iris?” I whispered, looking at the girl as she studied the forest floor. She shuffled quietly along the ground, searching, until she found what she was looking for.

“There.” She whispered back, pointing.

I nodded. “Very good. What made them?”

She paused, thinking. “A… Gwyllion? There’s only one of them I think.”

“Good.”

“But what is it doing here? We aren’t anywhere near the Vale.”

She looked back at me, her ebony hair pulled into a tight braid against her head. Illyrian weapons were strapped to her person, and she looked particularly fearsome for an eleven-year-old. Despite the situation, excitement bubbled in her eyes.

At least she _was _behaving like a child, rather than succumbing to whatever urge made her act like a being thousands of years older. Though the fact that she was still normal was beginning to worry me. Usually, when we came out on this kind of mission, it would take only minutes for her to slip into her alternate persona, but it had been hours, and she was still the same.

I took a deep breath to quell the emotions that threatened to overflow, and instead considered her observation. The Vale was situated in the northern section of the mountain range that encompassed most of the Night Court, and we were currently in one of the more mundane sections of our court, down south near the Day Court. The Vale was where most of Prythian’s darkest creatures resided, including the Gwyllion. Yes, it was rare for one to be so far south, but not unheard of. At the moment, I wasn’t concerned.

“Oh, that’s fine then. I didn’t realise that they’d been sighted down here before.”

It took me a moment to realise that she’d replied to my thoughts. I shook away my discomfort and stared her down.

“How will we do this?”

And then_ it_ happened. A cold, calculating mask slipped over her features, and she looked at me shrewdly.

I took a breath to regain my nerve. Over the past few years, I’d drilled into her the importance of battle strategy, and now it was time for her to show me what she’d learnt, whether she was behaving normally or not.

“Fire. I will burn her.”

I blinked, momentarily stunned.

She grinned at me, but the expression wasn’t endearing. “It is not night, nor is it particularly misty, so there is no risk that she’ll lead us off the path. She has an incredibly strong sense of smell, but there is a breeze, so it should be fairly easy to head downwind and come at her from there. We cannot snare her, she is too quick and cunning, _but,” _She seemed to pause for dramatic effect. “Her one major weakness is fire; therefore, we burn her.”

I couldn’t speak for a moment. I’d honestly thought that asking her how to capture a Gwyllion would be a challenge, as we hadn’t covered that kind of creature in our studies yet, but she’d answered it with utmost surety, as if reading from a book. I swallowed.

“And how will you bind it?”

She reached under her cloak and pulled out a set of manacles. Manacles made of blue-tinged stone…

_Faebane._

“I was thinking we could use these. As far as I know, it nullifies a fae’s power, so-”

“Where did you get that?” I barked. She blinked at me.

“I’m not sure. I woke up one morning, and it was sitting at the foot of my bed.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

She frowned at me. “Mother and Father would have taken it from me. I wanted to keep it, I thought it might be useful.” She shook the chains. “Turns out I was right.”

I shook my head, disbelieving. “Iris… that’s not- you shouldn’t-” I paused. “Wait, how are you holding them? Don’t you feel lightheaded, dizzy?”

“She shrugged. “It gives me a bit of a headache, but I can still use my magic.” She conjured a ball of fire onto her hand.

I gasped. To be able to wield even while holding faebane… her level of power was incredible.

I steeled myself.

“Iris, give those to me.”

She blinked at me. “But it will hurt you. I’ve seen what they can do to fae. I don’t want to hurt you.”

I bit my lip. Even when she slipped into this state, even when she was cold and emotionless… It made my heartstrings pull to know she still cared for me. But even still, I was not letting her hold onto those chains for longer than she had to, no matter whatever effect they would have on me.

“It’s alright. They won’t hurt me.”

She narrowed her eyes at me, obviously knowing that I was lying, but handed them over anyway. As soon as they touched my skin, my shadows fled, sinking deep into my core. No matter how hard I tried, I could not bring them back out. I shuddered, my body feeling vulnerable without the constant presence of my shadows swirling around and inside me.

I stifled a panicked growl at the loss of the one thing I’d had all my life, the one aspect of me that no one had been able to change or take away.

I shut my eyes. I had a job to do, and I’d be damned if I let a pair of manacles stop me.

“Well then.” I murmured. “Are you ready?”

She rose an eyebrow. “Of course.”

I gestured with a hand. “Lead the way.”

“You’re not going to go ahead and search for danger first?”

“Think of this as your first test. I want to see if you can do it yourself. I will be here if you need me.”

She grinned, as if the thought of killing excited her. Though considering how often she begged to come back to the dungeons with me… it wouldn’t surprise me if she truly did enjoy her enemies suffering.

Without warning, Iris bolted into the forest, disappearing in a matter of seconds. I cursed, and took off after her, knowing where to go only because of her scent leading the way. With my shadows out of action, I was vulnerable, and my body felt weak and tired much faster than it would have normally.

As the trees whipped past, a new scent joined Iris’ and the Gwyllion’s.

_Shit. _I swore. Something was tracking Iris, and she’d gone off without me…

I increased my pace, my breath now coming in rasped, panicked gasps. I needed to get to her before whatever was trailing her did.

Suddenly, her scent veered left, into a clearing. Iris was strutting around a ring of fire that encircled a hissing Gwyllion. I scanned the border of the clearing, searching for the thing that had followed her, but saw nothing. There was no sign that anything was lying in wait except for- _there. _A shadow was crouched behind a tree. I opened my mouth to warn Iris, but a gloved hand clasped over my mouth, cutting off my words. A second hand grabbed me around my torso, and I was bound, unable to move. If I’d had my shadows… if the faebane wasn’t weakening me…

I struggled against my captor, trying to escape, but it was to no avail. I watched on in horror as the shadow I’d seen in the trees crept up behind Iris, and grabbed her, holding a knife to her throat. She froze, and the ruthlessness faded from her eyes, leaving a scared, young girl in her place… of all the times for this to happen…

_Use your power! _I screamed in my head, but the faebane must have been blocking me, because she made no sign that she’d heard me. She just stood there, unmoving.

“Bring out the spymaster.” The creature holding Iris rasped. The figure behind me roughly pushed me into the clearing, and I stumbled. I cursed myself for burying the faebane under my cloak. I wouldn’t be able to shake it free no matter what I did. My heart thumped in my ears as I registered the seriousness of the situation I was in.

Iris’ captor chuckled. “Who would have thought it’d be so easy to capture the famed Shadowsinger hmm?”

I snarled against the hand that was pressed against my mouth.

The creature only cackled further. “Here I was, expecting to have to _fight, _but it seems to me that I’ll be able to just take the girl, and leave.”

Panic and rage gripped me. I pulled against the grip of my captors, while also digging a far as I could into my being, calling for my shadows. But it was to no avail. The faebane had shut out my shadows and weakened my body. I was helpless.

“What do you want with her?” I snarled, portraying a confidence I didn’t feel while my words were muffled by my captor’s hand. The creature didn’t answer, instead he shook his head so that his hood fell off, revealing his face.

I recoiled, the reality of his face completely at odds with how his voice sounded.

Where his voice was croaking and rasping, his face was smooth and perfect. He looked even more beautiful than anything I had ever seen, fae or otherwise, and in that moment, I wanted to weep. I looked up into his eyes, bottomless pits of blackness, and suddenly, I couldn’t move.

Images of chains and dank cells flashed in my mind, and the stench of burning flesh filled my nose. My heart began to race faster as the memories echoed in my mind. I couldn’t escape. I was going to die. I was-

“My my… so ripe with pain you are.” The creature whispered. “I should take you as well…”

The words jolted me back into the present, and my surroundings came back into view. I met the creatures dark gaze with a glare. It blinked at me in surprise, before narrowing its eyes at me. Once again, I felt the tantalising brush of pain and torment against my conscience, but I refused to let it gain a grip.

The creature loosed a snarl of frustration and jerked the knife closer to Iris’ throat. I froze and inhaled sharply.

“If you value the girl’s life, you will listen to me, _bastard._” The thing growled.

I bit down on the gloved hand covering my mouth, and my captor release his hold on me with a bark of pain. I immediately took advantage of his incapacitated state and wrenched free, lunging for Iris and the inhumanly beautiful beast that held her.

Said beast screeched and sent a rush of black power shooting towards me. I grinned and opened my arms, expecting to feel the familiar embrace of the darkness that so often consumed me, but instead I was met with blinding pain, though this time it was definitely real.

My knees buckled, and I screamed, the horrid noise tearing itself out of my throat. I had dealt with pain, _could _deal with pain, but this… this wasn’t pain; this was agony. The worst methods of torture rolled into one. My lungs rasped, fighting for breath, and my heart pumped faster and faster until I was sure it was going to explode from my chest.

“Stop. Please.” I gasped, shaking.

Instantly, the pain ceased, and the clearing came back into view around me. I was kneeling on the damp earth, my hands clenching and grabbing at the loose soil. I took a deep breath and looked up at the creature. It was smiling down at me.

“What are you?” I rasped.

“No one you need to concern yourself with.” It murmured, before leaning in and sniffing Iris’ hair. I fought the urge to leap up and tear its throat out. I would likely end up writhing in pain again.

“So full of power… my master will be happy with you… and me. Perhaps I will be rewarded…”

I jolted. “What do you mean, your ‘master’? You are not leaving with her.”

The creature chuckled. “Oh… but I _am._ And you, little Shadowsinger, will not be able to do anything about it.”

I snarled. “Like hell I won’t.”

He shrugged. “You’re welcome to try. But… well, you saw what happened last time.”

I was honestly surprised that he thought I was going to give up without a fight. Pain was no new experience to me, and I would risk and lose everything to get my mate, my friend, my little star back. No one was going to take her from me.

I lunged at the creature, and once again, the wisps of pain-filled shadow came for me. I thought I’d be better prepared this time, but I was left convulsing on the ground again in mere seconds.

Once my vision had cleared, I looked up to see Iris shaking, with tears streaming down her face. The creature stood behind her, still smiling. I went to stand, but my muscles shook, and I couldn’t manage to move more than a few millimetres off the ground.

“Give her back.” I gritted out, trying again to heave my body off the ground.

“Azriel.” A quiet voice murmured. I snapped my head up to see Iris gazing at me, her expression forlorn. “Stop. I won’t have you hurting yourself further for me.”

My lips turned down. “I am not letting you go, Iris.” I whispered.

A tear slipped from her eyes. “Yes. You are. You will find me; I know you will. I will see you again, I feel it in my heart.”

I shook my head, my own eyes stinging as tears began to slip down my cheeks.

The creature snickered behind Iris.

“Although this has been _vastly _entertaining. I am afraid that I must be on my way with the girl. It was not a pleasure meeting you Shadowsinger, and I hope I never see you again. Farewell!”

My heart jumped into my throat, and with my last remains of energy, I lunged up to grab Iris. The creature smiled at me, before folding Iris and himself into his dark shadows.

My hands closed on empty air, and I sunk to my knees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just for your information, I didn't make the Gwyllion up. It's actually a welsh fairy species that haunt trails and lure hikers away from their paths, particularly if it was misty. They are known to make odd noises, so I referenced that when Iris was taunting it inside the ring of fire. The whole weakness of fire thing I completely made up, because the folklore states that their weakness was knives, and I thought that was too boring. So, tell me what you think of the Gwyllion! If you have any advice on how I should change anything, please let me know.
> 
> I love posting on this website so much. I wasn't intending to post this often, but it's really fun. I'm gonna run out of chapter soon XD
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed! xx


	5. The Oracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a month of isolation, Azriel finally comes back to Velaris, but at what cost?

_1 month later_

_Azriel’s POV_

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find her. The mating bond allowed me to track her to the end of the Night Court boundaries, but from there, it was gone. She was gone.

Despite all evidence that the mating bond would be strong enough to conquer any distance, it vanished the moment I stepped out of the Night Court. It was like she’d never existed. She had disappeared and taken a part of my soul with her. I couldn’t even enter Velaris anymore, the sights and sounds reminding me too much of my time spent with Iris. Even my shadows were quiet, as if they too were mourning the girl who had brought us so much light.

I now dwelled in the forest, alone. The others didn’t seek me out, I doubt they could even if they tried. And if they did try, I vanished. My life was utterly pointless without my mate.

The memory of how I’d had to break the news to the others was still fresh and painful in my mind.

_I burst through the doors of the riverside manor, panting and shaking. The Inner Circle, who had just been enjoying a meal, and laughing and talking, looked up and me._

_“Azriel?” Feyre questioned. “What’s wrong? Where’s Iris?”_

_My words escaped me, and my muscles failed me._

_My knees banged as they hit the ground._

_“Azriel.” Rhys barked. “Where is Iris?”_

_I couldn’t force the words out of my throat. I couldn’t breathe._

_“What happened?”_

_“Is he okay?”_

_The worried tones of the Inner Circle closed in around me, echoing and clanging through my skull. I brought my hands up to my ears to quell the noise and squeezed my eyes shut, but it did no good. All I could see and feel were the fumbling hands of everyone as they patted me and tried to get me to speak. _

_I couldn’t breathe._

_Finally, when I thought I was going to explode, one voice stood out._

_“Give him some space!” _

_Instantly, they drew back, and the pressure was reduced. After a few short breaths, I was able to open my eyes._

_“She’s gone.” I whispered. Somehow, saying it out loud to the people who loved her the most made it more real. A sob escaped the confines of my throat._

_“What?” Rhys hissed._

_I looked at him. “They… they took her. They took her from me.” I buried my face in my hands. “This is all my fault.”_

_Above me, the Inner Circle was silent._

_Until Feyre spoke._

_“_Who _took her from you, Azriel?” Her voice was quiet, but there was no mistaking the murderous tone behind it._

_“I-I don’t know. I’ve never seen something like him before. His voice was horrible, but his face…” I met Feyre’s gaze. “His face was more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen.”_

_Feyre looked at me as if I was insane. “What… How did you let him take you?”_

_I went to mention the faebane manacles, and how they appeared in Iris’ room, but as I opened my mouth, no words came out. I shut my mouth, before trying again. Once again, silence._

_“Azriel?”_

_It took me a moment to realise that my mouth was opening and closing like a fish._

_“I… the creature… it looked at me, and suddenly… I was back _there…_ with my _brothers._”_

_Feyre looked at me, confused, but the rest of the Inner Circle gasped._

_“All I could feel was pain.” I looked up at Feyre and Rhysand. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I was weak. I couldn’t grab her. I failed. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry. I’m so-”_

_Rhys crouched down next to me. “Az.” He said softly, his voice choked with pain. “It will be okay. We will find her.”_

_I looked at him. “You don’t understand. I can’t feel her. As soon as I left the Night Court… the mating bond, it-” My voice broke. I took a deep breath before continuing. “It _disappeared.”

I opened my eyes, taking in the dim light as it filtered through the tree canopy. Another day. Another day without Iris.

I sighed.

What was the point? I could go and die in a battle with a pack of naga and that death would be painless compared to the agony I lived through every hour. To the memories that assaulted me every breath I took.

_Azriel._

Rhys’ voice echoed in my mind. I lifted my head weakly. Over the weeks my mental barriers must have deteriorated if he was able to break through them so easily.

_Azriel. _He called again. _We need you in Velaris. Now._

I groaned. _Not. Happening. _I said in my mind, knowing he could hear me clearly.

_Please. _He begged me. _The mortal queen, Vassa, is here. She may have information on where Iris is._

I bolted upright, nearly falling from my tree.

_Where._

His reply took a moment. _The House of Wind._

I winnowed almost immediately. The small crowd gathered in the foyer paused mid-conversation and stared at me.

“Azriel?” Mor’s hesitant voice pierced the silence. I ignored her and strode directly to Vassa.

“You know where she is?” I asked quietly.

The mortal queen watched me. Though the years had passed, and she had aged, her features were no less fair.

“You are young Iris’ mate, then?” She spoke softly.

I nodded, my movements halted and jerky.

“And you apparently have information on her whereabouts.” I said, trying to keep my voice controlled, even though every fibre in my body was buzzing.

She nodded. “I have some information. Not much; not enough to go straight to wherever she is, but I have some. It may mean more to you than it does to me.”

Beside me, Rhys frowned. “What do you mean?”

“When you contacted me about your missing daughter, I went straight to my Oracle. She couldn’t find much. All she told me was something about a Wraith in the Ring. She said it was important, but she did not know why.”

My shadows flared. They dragged me from my solitude for a mere prophecy by a human Oracle. I snarled.

Vassa, and everyone else in the room looked at me, startled.

“I’m sorry I could not offer more.” The queen said, sorrow filling her eyes.

I snorted. “I’m going back to the forest. Tell me when you have something more believable.”

I began to walk away, when a voice stopped me.

“Why don’t _you _look for her, Az? She’s _your _mate, maybe you should stop snapping at everybody and pitch in a bit.”

I whirled around, staring at Mor, who was scowling at me.

“You don’t know,” I hissed, “How _difficult _it is to live each day without knowing where she is. You don’t understand because YOU DON’T HAVE A MATE! So, don’t you speak to me about searching. What do you think I have been doing for the past month? I cannot feel her! The bond is void, and nothing I do is bringing it back! So, I go back to what I said, contact me when you have a better idea, because I can’t do anything! I am helpless.”

My voice broke at the end of my rant, and my knees threatened to buckle underneath me.

Why did I come here? This confrontation only gave me false hope and ripped my soul into shreds even further. I stumbled from the foyer into living room. No one followed me. I don’t know how long I sat on the carpeted floor. Minutes… hours… days… time had no meaning anymore. All I knew was that the sky was dark when I was finally interrupted.

“Azriel?” A soft voice invaded the dark silence that encompassed me. I lifted my head to see Julian lingering by the doorway. He fidgeted under my stare.

“May I join you?”

I chuckled without humour. “I’m hardly good company right now.”

He straightened his posture. “But you don’t tell me that everything’s okay and that my sister will be back soon. You speak truth.”

My breath caught in my throat as I remembered. Julian had lost his twin. He was only a child.

“The truth isn’t always pretty, Julian.” I choked out.

“But it’s real, and that’s more to me than prettiness.”

I took in a ragged breath and beckoned him over to me. He walked in and sat on the floor a foot away from me. We stayed like this for a while, until I couldn’t bear to let us linger in the silence a moment longer.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered. I was the reason his twin was missing, and I was surprised he even talked to me. How he must feel…

“It is your fault.”

I flinched at his words. They hurt, but they were what I deserved. They were the truth.

“But I do not blame you.” Julian continued.

I looked up from the carpet at him. The boy looked at me without pity. Sure, there was sorrow in his eyes, but there was no anger at me. At what I’d done.

“You should.” I replied, still watching him.

He looked away, toward the stone fireplace that remained unlit.

“I should, but I do not. Iris would not want that.”

I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill. This boy… this child had been through so much, and yet somehow… somehow, he managed to give me forgiveness.

“I will find her. I will bring her back.” I vowed.

Julian looked at me again, a soft smile on his face.

“I know you will.”

Taking a deep breath, I stood slowly.

“Bring my sister back to me.” Julian whispered.

I nodded.

“I will.”

My promise echoed in my head long after I left the House of Wind.

I didn’t know how long it would take, but I would find Iris. I would bring her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back! So sorry about the delay in getting this chapter up, but school started back up for me this week and I've been absolutely swamped with trying to get stuff done. But, here we go! A long-awaited chapter is up! 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!


	6. Empty Eyes and Faded Smiles

_47 Years Later_

Feyre’s POV

The river house was quiet these days. No one but Rhys, myself and Julian came here anymore, and even then, it was only for short visits. None of us had seen Azriel since that meeting with the queen nearly fifty years ago. We had since had contact with Vassa, but she was growing older, and without an heir, I dreaded to think on what would happen to our ties with the mortal lands once she passed.

In the first few years since Iris’ kidnapping, Rhys and I contacted the other High Lords and begged for their help in the search of our daughter, but only Helion and Tarquin even offered. Kallias and Cresseida had their own problems in dealing with uprisings in their own court, as did Thesan.

Eris, the newly crowned High Lord of Autumn, we didn’t even ask. Family ties clearly meant nothing to him, since he’d killed his own father and brother to claw his way to the throne.

And Tamlin… When we asked, the High Lord of Spring told us that maybe Iris deserved to be taken… that it was just fated that since Rhys and I had hurt so many, killed so many, that we should endure a little loss as well.

Tamlin had grown more hostile, and his cruelty now knew no bounds. He refused to let any of his Court leave the boundaries of his land, and each passing year, his temper grew ever shortened.

As much as we wish we could, the rest of us could do nothing about it, as he wasn’t committing any crime. I’m sure, if we delved deep enough into the archaic ruling systems, we could find some method of convicting him, but… since Iris was taken, I barely had the energy to maintain my own court anymore.

“Feyre?” Rhys’ soft voice came from behind me as he came into our bedroom. As usual, his eyes were bloodshot and sunken in. He looked worse than he had Under the Mountain, but neither of us could sleep properly at night anymore.

Rhys wrapped an arm around me, using the other to wipe away tears I hadn’t even known were falling.

“It’s forty-seven years today.” I whispered, sobs threatening to choke my words. Rhys’ breath caught in his throat.

“We will find her.” He said hoarsely.

I looked up at him. “She would be an adult by now, Rhys. What if she doesn’t remember us? What if- What if there’s not even anything to find?”

He stiffened. “There will be. There _has _to be. She’s not dead; Azriel would have told us.”

“How do you know that? We haven’t heard from Azriel for years, Rhys! For all we know, he could be dead as well!” I cried.

Rhys pulled away from me roughly and stalked to the window, his back facing me. “He’s not. He can’t be.”

I walked over to him and embraced him from behind, leaning my head against his back. Each year, our tiny flicker of hope grew smaller and smaller. I didn’t know how long I could last until it was extinguished completely.

Rhys and I stood there for what felt like hours, before her murmured quietly.

“Whoever did this, when we find them, they will learn the true wrath of the Night Court.”

“Yes.” I nodded. “They will.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………

I poured over the letters and notes on my desk, groaning. I didn’t have the energy for this; for anything anymore.

A letter with the Summer Court’s wax seal on it caught my eye amidst the piles of paper. I grabbed it. Tarquin, Rhys and I had been working together for years to find a way to get rid of Tamlin, and this was the first I’d heard from the High Lord of Summer in months. I was desperate for any inkling of information he had.

With shaking fingers, I opened the letter.

_High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court,_

_I believe I have found something that will give us what we need to strip Tamlin of his title. Some of my sources have found evidence that the High Lord of Spring is indeed dabbling in nefarious activities as we feared. It is rumoured that he is unfairly jailing members of his own court. However, what concerns me more, is that he is forcing these jailed victims to fight for the right to live in an arena for his own enjoyment. From what my spies have found out, these events are usually attended by invitation only, but it seems as though there is one fight a year that he opens to all members of his court. This is all the information that I have for now, though I am searching for more. I will help you both as much as I can, but I will be unable to leave my own court for the moment._

_The open fight that I mentioned will be held on the night before Calanmai._

_Signed,_

_Tarquin, High Lord of the Summer Court_

I allowed a small, relieved smile to creep onto my face. Finally, something to stop Tamlin’s increasingly tyrannical rule. He had changed so much since I’d first come to the fae lands, no longer the caring male I had once loved, nor was he even the rude High Lord who’d insulted and betrayed us during the war against Hybern. No, this Tamlin was cruel and corrupted. He had to be, to be able to send his court to fight to the death in a ring like it was some sort of sport.

I shuddered. It was wrong, so very wrong. I would not hesitate to kill him if given the chance, but… he was allowed a trial. Even though his atrocities should warrant his death, he was still allowed to stand before the courts and beg for their mercy. We _needed _to go to these prisons of his and find evidence of what was going on. Only then would he be subject to the wrath of the High Lords and Lady. I prayed to the Cauldron that he would be executed. It would be a relief, not having to watch my family’s backs whenever they left the Night Court, in case Tamlin tried something.

I sent my newly found information down the bond to Rhys. He was silent for a moment, before shock and anger burst from the confines of his mind.

_Cauldron._

_I know. _I sent back. _We need to go there; do something about it. _

He winnowed into the study. “Agreed. The night before Calanmai is in two days’ time. We need a plan. I’ll call Cassian, Amren and Mor.”

We were silent for a moment, before I spoke.

“And… Azriel, if you can find him.” I said quietly. Rhys looked at me, his violet eyes tender.

“I will try.” He whispered.

I gave a small smile and nodded. “Then I will meet with you all soon… at the House of Wind.”

Then, I winnowed away.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

It took only seconds for the others to join me once I winnowed to the House of Wind.

“I found Azriel’s mind, and sent him the message, but I don’t know where he is physically, or if he even heard me. Rhys said, wrapping an arm around my waist. I nodded my thanks, even as my heart sunk lower in my chest, before turning to the friends I’d barely seen in a year. They looked haggard, even Amren, as if the energy had deserted their bodies.

Another person walked in through the front doors, and my heart jolted, before I ran over.

“Julian!” I cried, as I wrapped him into my arms. He returned my embrace and buried his face in my shoulder.

“Mother.” He whispered; his voice sound just as empty as the rest of us. I drew back and looked at him. This was the first I’d seen him since nearly ten years ago, when he’d abruptly left because he couldn’t handle being in Velaris without his twin.

His normally vibrant blue eyes were dull and flat, showing nearly no emotion as he stared back at me. His mouth was turned down, no hint of a smile.

I thought I was dealing with Iris’ disappearance badly, but looking at Julian, I realised my pain was nothing compared to Julian’s.

At over fifty-five years of age, he looked almost exactly like Rhys, with the exception being the shape of his nose and mouth, which were definitely mine. He was the child the Bone Carver had shown me all those years ago, minus the smile and joyful eyes.

I took a deep breath and drew away, though still keeping an arm wrapped firmly around my son’s shoulders.

“I filled them in.” Rhys murmured, coming to stand on Julian’s other side.

Across the room, Cassian nodded. “We can hope that Azriel comes to his senses, but we to plan around it in case he doesn’t.”

We all nodded, knowing that it was next to impossible that Azriel would come.

“We won’t have him and his shadows scoping out the Court for threats, and his spies work for him and no one else; there is a possibility that we will be caught.” Mor said, frowning.

Rhys pursed his lips. “I don’t know what wards Tamlin has in place, but Feyre and I should be able to glamour us all so that we’re unrecognisable.”

Amren sighed. “Risky, but it looks like the only plan we’ve got. It would seriously help if Azriel-”

A burst of shadows interrupted her, and -as if he’d been summoned- Azriel walked out of them.

“The High Lord has no wards in place.” He said quietly, his voice empty.

Amren scowled. “Well look who finally decided to show up.”

We all looked at her incredulously, Azriel just ignored her.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever. Carry on.”

Everyone shifted back into planning awkwardly, though Azriel gave no further comments. I walked over to where he stood at the edge of the Inner Circle, not part of the conversation, but not quite excluded from it either.

“Az.” I murmured.

He looked at me, no emotion whatsoever in his eyes.

“Feyre.” He replied, monotone.

I sighed. “Will you come with us? When we do this?”

He blinked at me. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

The sheer lack of differentiating tone in his voice made the question seem more like a statement. It hit me deep in my soul how much Azriel must be hurting, even if he seemed like a mere shell. His whole life had been ripped away from him in a matter of seconds. I smiled tentatively at him.

He didn’t smile back.

My lips dropped into a frown. I was about to speak again when Rhysand interrupted me.

“Feyre darling? Is that fine with you?”

I blinked. “Sorry, what? I was distracted.” I admitted sheepishly. Rhysand smiled and shook his head.

“We were discussing whether Julian would be capable of monitoring the Court while we’re gone.”

I nodded. “Is that alright with you, son?”

Julian nodded. “I’ll do whatever you need me to.” He said softly.

I shot him a concerned look which he adamantly ignored, while Rhys addressed the group again.

“Very well. We meet here again before midday the day after tomorrow. Feyre and I will glamour us all, and then we’ll bring this bastard to justice.”

“Yes.” Cassian snarled. “We will. I’ll make sure of it.”

“As will I.” More said.

Their vow was echoed by the rest of us, even Azriel.

Tamlin was going to pay, there was no doubt about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi my lovelies! I'm so sorry that I've neglected to post in agesss. I hope you can forgive me and I'll try and update some more soon <3
> 
> Please leave kudos and comments, they mean the world to me xx


	7. Wraith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Inner Circle enter the arena, but at what cost?

Azriel’ POV

The dawn of the day we were to sneak into the Spring Court approached, and I dragged myself out of bed. As usual, I had not slept. Such things were beyond me now. I was lucky to get more than a couple hours of rest a week. Though, I could hardly call it rest. Nightmare plagued me, and they were all the same. Always of Iris. Always of the moment she was taken from me. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get her face out of my mind. I needed to forget. She wasn’t coming back; was likely dead by now.

Cauldron, I couldn’t feel her. It killed me inside, that I couldn’t find her. It was like half my soul had been ripped from me.

Shaking myself from my dark thoughts, I numbly shucked on my leathers. This mission to liberate the Spring Court meant nothing to me. Nothing meant anything to me anymore.

When Rhysand contacted me, I contemplated ignoring the summons, but I wanted to see Tamlin brought to justice. Not as intensely as I once did -it seemed as if every feeling had been muted- but I still wanted him to pay for all he’s done, to the Courts; to Feyre and Rhys.

I sighed and winnowed into the foyer. Everyone else was there and ready to be glamoured, but I couldn’t find the energy or the need to feel apologetic for my lateness. They could deal with it.

Rhys began speaking, but I tuned him out. I knew my part of the plan, I certainly didn’t need telling twice. I was to scout the premises of the Spring Court manor, because that seemed like the most logical place that the prison would be, before the others went in, just like every other mission. From there I would stay with the others until the evidence was collected – in this case, it was through memories, which would then be presented at the trial with the Veritas orb for validation – then I could disappear again.

Finally, silence descended upon us once more. They were ready. I looked at them all.

“I’ll go now.” I murmured, not feeling the need to increase my volume. Feyre looked concerned, but the rest of them just waited.

Without another word, I winnowed out of the foyer.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

_Feyre’s POV_

We heard word from Azriel about an hour later.

The Spring Court was hosting their annual prison fight tonight, and we were to go disguised as attendees. Azriel had somehow been able to book us seats fairly close to Tamlin. How he’d managed such a feat, I didn’t want to know. Of course, this would mean we have the “best” view, and would be forced to watch the prisoners fight to the death. The though sent shivers down my spine, reminding me too much of my experiences Under the Mountain. Though it had been over seventy years since then, the memory of killing those innocent people was still fresh in my mind. Looking back now, it would have made this whole situation easier if I’d actually been able to kill Tamlin.

However, the past was the past, and all I could do now was focus on the present.

I brought myself from my thoughts back into the real world and stared at myself in the mirror.

A completely different creature looked back at me. My once long, golden-brown hair was now as white as the snow in the Winter Court and cropped so that the strands barely brushed my ears. My eyes were now slit-pupiled, like that of a cat’s. my limbs appeared stretched even longer than they were before, and my fingers had been replaced with long, sharp claws. Now, I certainly didn’t look High Fae. I looked lesser, like someone that would belong in a scrabble of tyrants watching innocents fight and die.

In the corner of the mirror, I could see Rhys’ new form, one similar to mine, though obviously masculine, and his hair was a bright green instead of white. He meets my eyes and smiled weakly.

“Ready?”

We were unable to change our voices, so his is still his own. We’d have to be careful not to speak too much in case we caused suspicion.

In response to his question, I nodded. He took a deep breath, before reaching out to take my hand. His claws clacked against my stone-hard skin. We had taken the form of the Needles, a lesser fae kind known for their cruelty and bloodthirst. They generally occupied the lands just north of the Spring Court border and were one of the species that would probably be flocking in numbers to the spectacle we would be witnessing tonight.

Together, Rhys and I exited our room and walked into the main living space where the others waited.

Cassian whistled. “Those are some ugly buggers.”

I glared at him, and he winked back at me. Mor rolled her eyes and walked over to me.

“You did a good job, but it doesn’t surprise me that you forgot about clothes. And here I thought that after seventy years you’d finally develop some taste.”

I looked down at my attire. _Oh._

Mor was right, I was still wearing my Night Court gown, and Rhys was still wearing his usual suit. I waved a hand and our clothes changed to tattered rags.

“Better?” I asked.

“Much.” Mor replied.

I nodded, then turned to the rest of the group. “Are you all ready?”

Cassian shuddered. “To look like that? No way. But,” He amended, noticed Rhys’ glare. “I am ready to take down Tamlin.”

I chuckled, before looking at Rhys, who nodded. We opened the gates between our power and allowed it to pool in my stomach, before letting it flow over the Inner Circle. Their bodies shifted and cracked, as our own had done, and soon we were looking at a troupe of Needles.

They gaped at me.

“That wasn’t a glamour.” Amren whispered.

I shook my head. “No, it was not. I used my powers and properly shifted you. It took more energy, but we are less likely to be discovered by anyone who can see through glamours. And, if we do need our normal fae bodies to escape, I am able to transform us all back with little trouble.”

Mor smiled at me, her newly pointed teeth showing. “You are incredible, High Lady.”

I smiled self-consciously back at her. “Thank you.”

Rhys came up behind me and put an arm around my waist. “That she is.” He agreed. “Has anyone heard from Azriel?”

“I am here.” The quiet voice came from behind us. I turned to see Azriel leaning against a pillar, watching us.

I took a breath. “You will need to be shifted with us so that you blend in.” I hesitated. “Unless… you have some other method of getting in?”

He shifted his blank gaze to me. “I would be shifted, if I may.”

I nodded. “Of course.”

Within seconds, Azriel was a Needle like the rest of us, with bright pink, shoulder-length hair.

“We are ready, then.” Rhys stated.

I nodded. “And it is time to go. If we leave now, we can make it to the Spring Court Manor by sundown; just before the event begins.”

Everyone nodded.

“When we leave, only winnow to the border of the Spring Court. Needles can’t winnow, so we will be on foot from there.” Rhys said.

Once again, an affirmative nod met our decision.

“You all know the exact area we’re winnowing to?” I asked Mor, Amren and Azriel. They nodded.

“Very well; we’ll see you there.”

I then called Cassian over, and grabbed his arm.

In the blink of an eye, we had all disappeared.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

We reappeared in a clearing near the northern border of the Spring Court. When Azriel had gone to the prison venue, he had also scouted the surrounding land for areas for us to safely winnow to. He somehow always knew what we needed without any hint of such from us; it was almost uncanny. Though I suppose centuries of serving as the Night Court’s spy would mean that he had plenty of experience. Rhys had received the information and coordinates from Azriel’s mind, and shared the information with the rest of us, so we had landed in approximately the same place. So fortunately, we would not have to waste time searching for the rest of the group.

We didn’t speak as we ran through the Spring Court.

As the manor loomed in front of us an hour later, my heart began to race. The last time I’d been here was before the war against Hybern, when I had been too busy infiltrating the court and turning Tamlin’s court against him to think about how he had trapped me in here and left me. Now that I was back, I couldn’t stop the memories flooding back. Before they could overwhelm me, I shoved the thoughts out of my head and focused on my surroundings.

I gasped before I could stop myself. As we passed through the gates, the seemingly pristine court shifted into shambles. Weeds grew out of the cracked pathway, and massive thorny vines surrounded us, twisting and threatening to grasp at anyone who remained motionless for too long. Beside me, Rhys and the others looked at me questioningly.

Composing my face into blank ignorance for the benefit of those watching us, I whispered to everyone.

“I knew Tamlin was bad, but I had no idea that he’d let his court go like this.”

Rhys furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about?”

I sent him a mental picture of our surroundings. “It wasn’t this bad before.”

Rhys gasped and looked around frantically.

“What’s wrong?” I murmured.

“I don’t see what you’re seeing. It all looks normal to me.”

I blinked. “What the hell? How is that possible?”

“I’m not sure, but we need to be on guard. Let me know if you see anything we need to know about.”

I nodded, still wondering how such a thing was possible.

We walked forward, nothing coming out to grab us as we joined the end of the long line to get inside.

We moved slowly, with me keeping an eye out for any outstretching vines. Ahead of us, I saw one grab an unfortunate fae that held still for too long. I turned back to the others.

“Don’t stop moving.”

They looked at each other, obviously confused, but nodded at my insisting glare. I sighed a breath of relief as we finally made it into the building. We shuffled through the familiar hallways, twisting and turning until we came to a door; one that I now realised had always been locked whenever I spent time in the manor. I suppose now I know why.

The atmosphere changed abruptly as we walked through the open doorway. Where the main building had at least attempted to retain some form of hospitality, all of that was gone in the few seconds it took for us to walk in.

A large arena stretched beneath us, rows upon rows of padded seats quickly being filled as visitors scrambled for a free seat. I was immediately grateful that Azriel had saved us seats. We made our way through the raucous crowds to a set of seats directly beneath a lavish overhang, likely where Tamlin would be sitting once he finally arrived. As we sat, I began to tremble. This was really happening. We were going to witness something horrible, something so barbaric that it made me sick to my stomach to think that people actually enjoyed this. Beside me, Rhys gripped my hand, his long, sharp nails jabbing into my skin.

_It will be ok. _He murmured through the mating bond. _If you get too uncomfortable, look away. The rest of us can gather the evidence we need._

I shuddered, nodding once, before taking a deep breath and fixing my gaze on the arena. I could do this. I _would _do this.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

_Azriel’s POV_

I glanced at the rest of the Inner Circle, their expressions holding various degrees of dread. I couldn’t feel anything. I couldn’t summon the appropriate feeing in me, not pity or empathy for my friends, nor my own sense of dread for what was to come. Just… nothing.

Even as Tamlin made his appearance and called for the commencement of the fights, and shock and anger were clearly written on my companions faces, I could summon nothing but a brief flicker of fury.

Even as the fights began, and lives were lost in a matter of minutes, no emotion made itself known. My mind began to wander, and it was only the chanting of the crowd that brought me back.

“Wraith, Wraith, Wraith.”

They said the word over and over again. Clearly, a favoured fighter was about to make an appearance. The name, Wraith, pricked at a distant memory, but I couldn’t remember, or care enough to remember where I’d heard it before.

I tuned into my surroundings in time to see a hooded figure enter the arena, set to fight against a massive brute that had survived several rounds. The hooded figure stretched out an arm in greeting to the audience, and they went wild.

I personally couldn’t make sense of the craze. The figure was tall, but very thin; likely underfed. They didn’t look like much of a competitor, but they must have some sort of talent, because they were clearly loved by the crowd.

The audience screamed at the Wraith to take off their hood, but to no avail. Tamlin lifted a hand, and the battle began. The Wraith struck immediately, sweeping in and out like a snake. A quick punch here and there, serving more to anger rather than wound their opponent. It was easy to see why the Wraith was a crowd favourite as they flipped and cartwheeled around the arena, staging a few accidents and accepting a few blows from the brute.

Within a few minutes, they seemed to grow bored with their prey, and with a few well-timed attacks, left the male on his back, panting and confused.

The crowd chanted for his death, but the Wraith made no move to kill him. After a few minutes, Tamlin also seemed to grow bored.

“Why don’t you put an end to him, little Wraith?” He chuckled. “You already have him defeated.”

The Wraith began to laugh. _The fighter was a girl. _Azriel realised.

“I’m done, Tamlin.” She said, loud enough for the whole arena to hear. He voice was disjointed and emotionless, as if she was possessed. “You cannot keep me here any longer. I will break out, and kill every being in this room, including _you.”_

The crowd began to twitter nervously.

Tamlin lifted his hands, silencing the mass.

“Peace, my visitors. You are in no danger. She is bound by Faebane cuffs. You are safe.”

The Wraith laughed again.

“Oh Tamlin. There are benefits of being the child of the most powerful High Lord and Lady in all of Prythian, you know.” She said, as she ripped her hood off.

My heart stopped. The only child of any High Lord or Lady that would have any business being here would be…

I couldn’t remove my eyes from her. The way she held herself, with such confidence, the way her long, black hair cascaded down the length of her body. The familiar glint of her violet eyes.

She was here. All these years, she’d been here.

Iris was here.

All of a sudden, I could feel. All the emotions rushed into me at once, as if a dam had burst.

She was here

She was alive.

And soon, Tamlin would not be. I fought against the urge pushing me to leap out of my seat and kill Tamlin myself, knowing that doing so would not help any plan Iris had obviously conceived,

I watched carefully as she lifted an arm, one that had a bracelet of faebane around it, and used her other hand to hook a finger around it. For a moment, nothing happened, then a horrible shrieking noise emitted from the cuff. A few seconds passed, then… it broke.

Iris broke faebane.

Suddenly, it was as if all was right with the world. The bond I’d been waiting for, for so long snapped back into place, and Iris whipped her head in my direction, looking me directly in the eyes, smiling.

It was not a happy smile, but one full of malice. I recognised it as the expression she often adopted when she encountered violence, the one that I hoped never to see on her expression again. She then turned to Tamlin and sent a bolt of pure night in his direction, which he barely had enough time to block.

Then, finally, we reacted. Feyre waved her hand, shifting us back into our normal forms, just as Rhys sent out a shield to protect us from Tamlin’s retaliation. However, now, we were on full view to everyone in the arena. Not that it mattered now, Iris had created enough of a stir to keep everyone distracted.

_My mate. _It felt amazing to call her that again. I watched in awe as she went to shoot another orb of magic at the High Lord of the Spring Court.

Only to have it struck down by Feyre.

I spun to her, glaring. “What are you doing?”

She glanced at me, unperturbed by my anger. “If she kills him, we’ll have a war on our hands. We need to get her out.”

I nodded. Despite my frustration, she made a good point.

She sighed in relief. “Good. Now, go get my daughter. Bring her back to the Night Court. Bring her home.”

I did as she said, unfurling my wings and swooping down to grab Iris as she readies another bolt of magic. I settled her in my arms before she did something that we’d all later regret. She pushed at me for a moment, snarling, before she seemed to realise who I was, then she relaxed. Marginally. She didn’t speak as I disappeared into my shadows to bring us back to the House of Wind.

When we arrived, she leapt out of my arms and I waited, ready for her to leap at me, hug me. Something.

But she just stood there. When she did turn around, her expression was so full of hatred that I took a step back.

“You left me there. All those years, and you let me be tortured there. You’re supposed to be my mate. Aren’t you the _one person _who’s supposed to help me? Protect me? Be there for me when I need you?”

Guilt pierced me, sharper than any knife.

“I’m sorry.” I murmured. “I-I tried to find you.”

“You should have tried harder.” She hissed.

She was right.

“I know… I’m sorry. My love… my mate-”

“You don’t have the right to call me that. Not after what you did. Or should I say, what you _didn’t _do.” She chuckled darkly. “You left me there for nearly fifty years. A true mate wouldn’t do that.”

And with that, she walked away.

I fell to my knees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow what's this? Another chapter? Wow. Well, time for me to disappear again for ages until i can actually be bothered to write another chapter! 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are much appreciated, as always xxx

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo this is my first fanfiction on this site, and I'm still learning the ropes with formatting and stuff, just a warning, my updates probably won't be regular as I have a lot of external commitments to keep on top of at the moment, so I don't have time to update often. Sorry!
> 
> But anyway, I hope you can enjoy what I do put up!


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